creativemarc // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $104,920
- Median hourly wage: $50.44
- Total employment: 2,090 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in St. Louis
Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in St. Louis. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 50#49. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $105,880
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $106,060
- Median hourly wage: $50.99
- Total employment: 1,840 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $106,250
- Median hourly wage: $51.08
- Total employment: 1,280 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Political science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $106,260
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 120 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $107,440
- Median hourly wage: $51.65
- Total employment: 450 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $109,940
- Median hourly wage: $52.86
- Total employment: 2,120 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $112,080
- Median hourly wage: $53.89
- Total employment: 170 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other
- Median annual wage: $112,940
- Median hourly wage: $54.30
- Total employment: 160 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $113,310
- Median hourly wage: $54.47
- Total employment: 1,730 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $113,530
- Median hourly wage: $54.58
- Total employment: 4,260 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Atmospheric and space scientists
- Median annual wage: $115,750
- Median hourly wage: $55.65
- Total employment: 30 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $116,600
- Median hourly wage: $56.06
- Total employment: 650 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $116,880
- Median hourly wage: $56.19
- Total employment: 320 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $120,490
- Median hourly wage: $57.93
- Total employment: 9,360 people (6.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $121,750
- Median hourly wage: $58.53
- Total employment: 890 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $122,130
- Median hourly wage: $58.72
- Total employment: 1,310 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $122,290
- Median hourly wage: $58.79
- Total employment: 910 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Burben // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Air traffic controllers
- Median annual wage: $123,920
- Median hourly wage: $59.58
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $125,080
- Median hourly wage: $60.13
- Total employment: 50 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $125,560
- Median hourly wage: $60.37
- Total employment: 460 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $125,930
- Median hourly wage: $60.54
- Total employment: 3,030 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Worawee Meepian // Shutterstock
23 / 50#27. Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $127,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.09
- Total employment: 90 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Managers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $127,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.09
- Total employment: 4,530 people (3.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $127,100
- Median hourly wage: $61.11
- Total employment: 180 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $127,250
- Median hourly wage: $61.18
- Total employment: 80 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $127,670
- Median hourly wage: $61.38
- Total employment: Not available
dokurose // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $127,800
- Median hourly wage: $61.44
- Total employment: 170 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $128,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 6,050 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $128,520
- Median hourly wage: $61.79
- Total employment: 2,050 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $129,390
- Median hourly wage: $62.21
- Total employment: 3,360 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $130,620
- Median hourly wage: $62.80
- Total employment: 350 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $134,220
- Median hourly wage: $64.53
- Total employment: 670 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $136,910
- Median hourly wage: $65.82
- Total employment: 100 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $137,730
- Median hourly wage: $66.22
- Total employment: 2,980 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
36 / 50#14. Physician assistants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $140,240
- Median hourly wage: $67.42
- Total employment: 790 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Financial managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $140,240
- Median hourly wage: $67.42
- Total employment: 6,890 people (5.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $154,760
- Median hourly wage: $74.40
- Total employment: 4,680 people (3.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $155,100
- Median hourly wage: $74.57
- Total employment: 1,160 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sebastian Duda // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
- Median annual wage: $156,210
- Median hourly wage: $75.10
- Total employment: 180 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VE.Studio // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $161,450
- Median hourly wage: $77.62
- Total employment: 520 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $172,600
- Median hourly wage: $82.98
- Total employment: 1,840 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $180,450
- Median hourly wage: $86.75
- Total employment: 50 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $192,070
- Median hourly wage: $92.34
- Total employment: 310 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Physicians, pathologists
- Median annual wage: $199,990
- Median hourly wage: $96.15
- Total employment: Not available
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $211,070
- Median hourly wage: $101.47
- Total employment: 110 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Djols // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 200 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Radiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 400 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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